THE first reading of the Constitution Amendment No 3 Bill (CAB 3) took place in the National Assembly yesterday amid fresh court challenges against MPs and claims by retired military commanders that President Emmerson Mnangagwa brushed aside concerns over the proposed amendments.
Legislators across the country's 210 constituencies were reportedly served with court applications shortly before the Bill's first reading, with citizens seeking an order compelling authorities to subject the proposed amendments to a national referendum rather than a parliamentary vote.
The legal action came as retired Air Marshal Henry Muchena, speaking on behalf of a group of retired generals and former senior civil servants, revealed that two meetings held with Mnangagwa last month failed to convince the him to reconsider the controversial Bill.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi yesterday tabled the Bill before Parliament, with the second reading expected to start today marking the beginning of debate in the lower house.
Parliament has suspended any other business including the Question and Answer session to pave way for the CAB 3 debate.
Political commentators warned that the latest development can be the culmination of a protracted struggle between opposing forces over CAB 3.
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In a statement issued yesterday, Muchena said the delegation met Mnangagwa on May 18 and 19 to raise concern over what they described as the dangers posed by the proposed constitutional amendments, including the risk of alienating citizens from the constitutional order and creating divisions within Zanu PF.
“Pursuant to our communication to Parliament, two formal meetings with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe were held on the 18th and 19th of May 2026, respectively. Regrettably, the two meetings failed to produce any results,” he said.
According to Muchena, when the delegation warned Mnangagwa about the political and constitutional consequences of the proposed amendments, the President's response was: “Whoever wins, wins.”
“That response speaks for itself. It lays bare the contempt with which the constitutional concerns of citizens and members of our party are regarded at the highest level of executive authority,” he said.
Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba was not picking calls yesterday when NewsDay tried to reach him for a comment.
Muchena warned legislators debating the Bill, saying MPs who support the proposed amendments will be judged harshly by voters and history.
“The electorate is watching. History is watching. Every Zimbabwean will remember those who chose personal enrichment over constitutional duty,” he said.
Meanwhile, in one of the court applications against legislators, Gokwe-Kana MP Owen Ncube was cited as a respondent by constituency voter Nebati Mutaurwa.
In his founding affidavit, Mutaurwa seeks a declaration that constitutional provisions relating to parliamentary tenure are protected term-limit clauses under section 328(7) of the Constitution and cannot be amended in a manner that allows incumbent legislators to benefit from the extension of their terms.
He further argues that clause 3 of the Bill directly affects citizens' political rights guaranteed under section 67 of the Constitution thus cannot lawfully take effect without compliance with constitutional provisions requiring a referendum.
The court applications come amid mounting resistance to CAB 3 from civil society organisations, constitutional lawyers and opposition activists.
But self-imposed Citizens Coalition for Change secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu quickly dismissed the court applications as an exercise in political grandstanding.
In a statement, party spokesperson Nqobizitha Mlilo said while the faction respected citizens' constitutional right to seek legal remedies, it questioned the timing and nature of the litigation.
“Our view is that matters affecting parliamentary representation and constitutional processes are best resolved through inclusive engagement and adherence to due process, rather than through litigation that risks politicising institutions and placing undue strain on the Judiciary,” he said.
Speaking to NewsDay yesterday, visiting researcher at Ludwig Maximilians Universität in München, Germany, Gideon Chitanga said the former generals’ statement was the “clearest, most determined” deviation from CAB 3 within Zanu PF.
He said the statement also indicated that Mnangagwa was the main actor behind CAB 3 with the financial backing of Kudakwashe Tagwirei and “probably aligned or convergent business interests.”
“I think it points to a breaking point after months of tension about succession. So, clearly, in the eyes of the retired generals and senior civil servants who are part of this group of protagonists, CAB 3 is designed by President Mnangagwa to preserve, extend and consolidate his rule, and they are totally opposed to that process,” Chitanga said.
“They are totally opposed to the extension of President Mnangagwa's term of office and with that, they also oppose the extension of the terms of office of members of Parliament, and they go on to even cite intense corruption within the system, which has corrupted the ruling party and the State.
“So, I think it's a breaking point. Their reference to what they cite as President Mnangagwa's response, specifically the fact that whoever wins, wins, points to the determination of the other side.
“So, politics is about winners and losers. So, if you consider that, you can argue that we don't see an immediate off-ramp and the next weeks are going to be very interesting in Zimbabwe because the fight will be located in several sites.”